MidWeek has an interview with Jimmy Buffett in which he talks about his new song “A Lot to Drink About” and upcoming shows in Honolulu: “Bringing Margaritaville To The Shell”
Leave it to the legionnaire of leisure, Jimmy Buffett, to look the pending world collapse in the eye, grab his six string and write a drinking song about it.
“I think it is more necessary than ever to have a sense of humor about everything to get through this stuff,” says Buffett, who feels it is his job to “reboot America.”
“Historically people tend to gravitate toward entertainment when times are bad, a little escapism. It is just that now, as opposed to wanting to come (to his shows), they need to come. I appreciate that. It’s kind of like when you are playing in the rain, people who show up on a horrible weather day get a better show because you respect that of people. When people show up during hard times, I feel the same way about delivering a show.”
Earlier this month that success grew further as the Honolulu version of Margaritaville opened quietly in the space that for so many years belonged to Don Ho in the Outrigger Beachcomber Hotel. The 21,000-square-foot space has been converted from the closed showroom of a local legend into an open-air, lava-flowing fantasy of an American icon.
“When Don was in the club, he was a dear friend and I was always a big fan,” says Buffett. “When he got sick, we were talking with the Outrigger people, and Don was onboard, and we were going to include him in the whole process. I was like, what a great opportunity, the tiki torch is passed!”
A picture of Ho still adorns the stage at Margaritaville, and he will be on hand, if only in spirit, for the grand opening party scheduled to happen between Buffett’s Maui show on Feb. 24 and at the Shell on the 28th.
“The Margaritaville opening, that’s like playing a party, that’s not a show,” says Buffett, who expects that local friends such as Henry Kapono and Jake Shimabukuro will pop in to play with him. “The shows are all going to be fun, but I got this sneaky feeling that the opening of Margaritaville, that is going to be good.”